South Asian Religions

Description

Doctoral Studies in this area investigate the various South Asian religions, primarily Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity (while a successful program of study that attends also to Jain or Sikh traditions is possible). Study can proceed from a variety of methodological perspectives, including history, theology, philosophy, literature, arts, and anthropology. Examples of ways that students may structure their studies include concentrating on a particular religious community or tradition (such as Hinduism), engaging in thematic study that crosses religious, cultural, and linguistic borders, exploring the complex interactions among various religious movement and traditions within South Asia in a particular period or in a particular region, or tracing the religious contours of the South Asian global diaspora. Students in South Asian Religious Traditions are expected to study the classical and/or modern languages relevant to their tradition-specific and thematic areas of focus.

Recent and current dissertation topics include:

Ethical Revaluation in the Thought of Santideva

Arumuka Navalar and the Formation of a Saiva Public Colonial Jaffna

Transforming the Seat of the Goddess into Visnu's Place: The Complex Layering of Theologies in the Karavira Mahatmaya